So I Hear
by Tenshi Chupip
Summary: ONE SHOT! No one ever seems to believe Henry when he needs them to the most... except one.


**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of their characters.**

**So I Hear**

**By Tenshi Chupip**

Henry nibbled on his bottom lip nervously as he eyed the shop across the street. To be fair this had not been his first option, but really, what choice had Emma and the others left him with? He tried to tell them. Begged all of them to listen but apparently you have to be an adult before anyone believes anything you say.

They thought he was just upset. Acting out to express his anxiousness over this whole situation, at least that's how Archie had put it. Well sure he was anxious… who wouldn't be anxious when their dad is about to marry a murderer?

At first he had actually kind of liked Tamara. She had excellent taste in bagels and made his dad smile. For now that was enough. Henry's happily ever after involved his family being together. His whole family. If a stepmom ended up as part of that family, well then Henry supposed he could live with that. Certainly he's first preference would have been for his mom and dad to get back together, but Henry wasn't so naïve that he believed his world always played out in the same way Gramma Snow said the enchanted forest did. If Tamara was going to be part of the family, it was only fair Henry get to know her.

That was how he found himself earlier that afternoon knocking on her room door at Granny's Bed and Breakfast. When the dark skinned woman finally answered she was clearly surprised to see Henry standing there with a blanket slung over one shoulder and a small cooler of sandwiches over the other.

"Hi," he remembered smiling. "I thought since you're going to be my new stepmom that you'd come have lunch with me?"

The conflicted expression on her face should have been his first clue. It was the same expression, followed by the same smiled that Regina gave people when ever she was trying get something she wanted.

"Sure, Henry," she had smiled back. "Just let me get my coat."

Lunch went fairly well all things considered. They went down to the harbor and sat on a bench to eat, Tamara regaling him with stories about her many travels. They'd laughed together, they fed the sea gulls together, she even gave him a hug when they were packing up in thanks for the lunch date.

"Of course," he'd said. "After all we're about to be family."

Sometime during lunch Tamara had taken off her coat and slung it over the back of the bench. Grandpa David had been giving him 'Charming Lessons' as he put it, so when Henry stood up he picked up the coat as well and held it open for her. Tamara smiled in amusement at him but thanked the young prince all the same for his chivalrous act.

That's when it all went wrong.

As Henry helped slide the coat onto Tamara's arms he heard a loud clatter as something hit his feet. Looking down he frowned before picking up the odd shaped box. It must have fallen out of her coat pocket. Getting a good look at the small device, recognition flooded into his eyes and Henry gave his to be stepmom a confused stare.

"A taser…Why do you have a taser?" he asked. "Who needs a taser in Storybrooke?"

"Never know when you need a taser," she has snapped sharply. "Now give it back."

Henry studied the prongs of the side of the taser, trying to get as good of look at he could before Tamara snatched it out of his hand. He eyed the woman suspiciously. It was one thing to have a small stunner for protection; it was another thing entirely to be walking around with a taser in your pocket that had the ability to take down a grizzly bear…

Henry's eyes grew wide as several pieces of a puzzle connected together in his mind.

…a grizzly bear… or a grown man.

Every since Henry was a little kid he had been really good at being observant. Watching people and studying the ins and outs of adult behavior so that he'd always know when someone was lying to him. He observed for years how his mom manipulated the whole town and no one noticed it. He noticed the way the Graham would look blissful whenever he heard the howl of the wolves at night. He watched as not a single person but himself aged for nearly a decade. And he noticed details. Little details that not everyone would think to remember.

Like the fact that the four prongs on the end of that taser perfectly matched the holes burned through the front of August's jacket. The holes over his heart.

He glared sharply at the woman next to him, "It… it was you, wasn't it? You're the one that tried to kill August!"

She had glared so darkly at him that Henry actually took a step back.

"Whatever it is you _think_ you've figured out, Henry," she spat his name. "Good luck convincing your precious little mommy of it."

The words stung, but only because they were slightly true. Henry had run straight to Emma and told her the whole thing. She gave him a sympathetic look before hopping on her cell phone for a few minutes. It didn't take long for Snow and David to show up. However Henry's hopes that this was a war council of sorts were completely dashed when Archie filed in after his maternal grandfather.

"Henry," Emma had said softly once they were all seated in the living room. "I know you want Neale and I to be together, and I understand more than anyone know what it means to have both your parents with you, but you can't make up stories about people like that. Tamara isn't Regina, she's not some evil witch out to rip us apart. Neale will be in your life and love you no matter who he marries."

As a mug of hot cocoa with set in front of him, Henry could feel the heat of his anger and embarrassment flood his cheeks. She didn't believe him after all. And she had called a whole group of people just to tell him he was nuts. The cocoa was insult to injury at this point. Poor confused little Henry, lets pat him on the head and give him hot chocolate. That will make him shut up with his crazy talk.

They only argued after that. Henry desperately pleading them to listen to him, and Emma desperately pleading with him to be rational. In hindsight, loosing his temper and yelling had probably hurt his case more than help it. Throwing the mug against a wall did him no favors either, but seriously… he was so sick of being treated like some dumb little kid. He was eleven, he wasn't stupid.

Emma had sent him to his room in an effort to punish him for his 'childish tantrum' as she'd put it.

"You can come down when you are ready to act like the adult you seem to think that you are," the blond Savior snapped as he had stormed up the stairs.

Why would he want to be an adult he thought bitterly as he slammed the door of his room. Being an adult just meant you didn't listen to anyone but yourself, even when someone else was right. He had to go find someone who would listen though. If Tamara nearly killed August, who would she try to hurt next? Henry felt a sick feeling to his stomach at the thought of her hurting his dad. They had just found each other. He wasn't about to loose him now.

Sneaking out of the flat had been the easy part. Really, who thought it was a good idea to give him the room with a fire escape at the window?

Figuring out what to do next was the hard part. If he knew his mom and grandparents well enough, then he knew he only had about half an hour before at least one of them snuck up to try and consol him with another cup of cocoa. Henry was really starting to dislike cocoa. A mug of cocoa was usually followed but some sort of fairly condescending conversation.

Henry had been so busy glaring at the ground he ran straight into someone. Specifically the very someone that was attempting to ruin his life.

"Oh, hello Henry," Tamara smiled down at the glowering boy. "Having a good day? How's your mom?"

"Fine," he snapped.

Dark brown lips curved up into a nasty sneer, "So… she believe you yet?"

Henry's temper threatened to escape him again but he managed to keep it under control… barely.

"She'll believe me… and when she does you're going down just like any other bad guy!" he exclaimed. "You won't get away what you tried to do to August! I'll make sure of it."

Tamara's mouth slipped from a self satisfied smirk into a dangerous snarl, "Look here you uppity little bastard… you are in way over your head here so I suggest that you back off… because people around here seem to disappear pretty easily. I know your mommy and daddy would just be devastated if something ever happened to you as well."

With a patronizing ruffle of his hair, the statuesque woman sidestepped Henry and continued down the street.

And that was how Henry Mills found himself in front of Gold's Pawn Shop. He was fairly sure by now his mom had found out he'd snuck out of the window so going to Granny's was out of the question. None of them would listen to what he had to say, they would just hand him back over to his undoubtedly furious mother and grandparent. Maybe Grandpa Gold had some kind of potion or something that he could use to show them he was telling the truth. Henry certainly was not a fan of magic, but if it helped his family he supposed he could use it just this once.

Another flicker of doubt skittered across his mind but before he could chicken out, Henry grasped the door handle of his grandfather's store. The bell over the wooden door jingled merrily as the dark haired boy sheepishly slipped inside the shop. Grandpa Gold wasn't in the front of the store but Henry could hear the familiar thump of his cane coming from the back. Possibly taking inventory. He thought for a second of just going back there but it'd probably be best to announce himself first though. It was usually a bad idea to sneak up on Rumplestilskin.

"Grandpa?" he called out. "Hello?"

The thump, thump, thump of Gold's cane got louder until the suit clad man poked his head out from the back of the shop.

"Henry," he smiled, his golden tooth flashing. "To what do I owe the pleasure, my boy?"

Henry opened his mouth but nothing came out. What made him think Grandpa Gold would believe him anymore than Emma did? He quickly closed it and stared at his feet. Gold frowned before making his way from behind the counter and towards the sniffling child. From a man with a limp, he crossed the room to his grandson's side very quickly.

"Henry…" the former imp said firmly. "What's wrong?"

Henry looked up into his grandfather's face, hoping he wasn't actually crying. "I doubt you'd believe me even if I told you," he muttered solemnly, before turning to go. "No one else does."

A firm hand gripped Henry's slumped shoulder as Gold forced the boy to stay put.

"Try me, Lad."

… ~ … ~ …

Tamara had just kicked off her shoes when the knock on the door came. She checked her watch with a frown. Greg wasn't supposed to come to her room at all, and Neale wouldn't be back for another hour at best. He was out helping his baby mama look for that damn kid. Tamara crossed the small room and pulled the door open, ready to tell off whoever had decided to bother her. The short but intimidating man on the other side of the door halted her rant on her tongue. Instead she smiled charmingly at her future father in law.

"Mr. Gold," Tamara said brightly. "What brings you here?"

The smile he returned made Tamara's heart jump a bit. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I would stop in to see if my dear boy Bae was in."

"Actually he isn't here at the moment but I can let him know you stopped by."

Another pointed tooth smile from the imp like man had Tamara's stomach completely in knots. "Oh that won't be necessary, Dearie," he said as he pushed his way past her into the room. "I don't think he would approve of the reason I am here. But then he doesn't really need to know, now does he?"

"What are you talking abo…"

Gold flicked his hand in the air and Tamara felt the door knob rip out of her hand and slam itself shut. She grabbed the handle and pulled hard, frantically trying to get it open. With out warning something grabbed and spun her around before slamming her body hard against the back of the door; effectively pinning the terrified woman there. Tamara stared with wide eyes at the long haired man now standing less than two feet from her person. His dark eyes swirled with anger and ill concealed glee.

Rumplestilskin dragged the handle of his cane down the side of her face in a slow threatening manner. "So I heard you threatened my favorite grandson with… how did he put it?... Oh yes, making his disappear. "

Tamara swallowed hard.

"Care to elaborate on that… Dearie?"

**The End**

**Author Note: This is my first OUAT fic (YAY!) This story has been rolling around in my brain ever since Tamara was introduced. I just wasn't able to work the whole thing out until it was revealed what she was really trying to do. Anyway I hope you liked it. I had fun writing it. R&R, Dearies!**

**~Chupip**


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